Customer refused to tip on takeaway sandwich order at Subway but they charged him anyway. So he emailed the owner
'Tipping for food prep is not an appropriate place for a tip,' the customer said.
A Subway customer’s post on Reddit is drawing attention after he called out the store for automatically adding a tip at checkout. The customer, who goes by u/pavorus, said the charge appeared without warning when he used the tap-to-pay feature. "I bought lunch at your Trenton Avenue Subway in Findlay this afternoon. When it was time to pay, I used the tap feature on my card. The screen jumped to a confirmation screen with a total that included a tip," he wrote.
"Tipping for food prep is not an appropriate place for a tip. The sandwich is either prepared correctly or it isn't. There is no spectrum of service quality that would justify tips to guarantee good service," he exclaimed. He went on to criticize the store’s management, saying, "If your employees need to make more money, pay them better, and raise the price of the sandwiches. Don’t rely on customers to subsidize your labor costs. If the auto tip option is still there the next time I buy lunch at your Subway, I will leave the sandwich and not patronize your business again."
This frustration isn’t rare. Many customers say they’re uncomfortable with digital kiosks prompting for tips before a service is even provided. Surveys show most Americans share that sentiment. A 2023 national poll by Pew Research Center found that nearly three-quarters of US adults oppose automatic service charges or tips being added to their bills, and only about a third say they know when or how much to tip anymore. It’s a sign of how tipping has shifted from appreciation to confusion, with screens asking for more in places where tips were never expected. The post gained a lot of attention, sparking discussion about how widespread auto-tipping has become, even at fast-food chains where service is minimal.
u/ryuukhang wrote, "You should have just demanded a refund (if you paid) or canceled the transaction and left the sandwich there." To that, u/pavorus replied, "I don't see a way to edit my original post, so I'm gonna hijack your top comment. The owner responded to the text message a couple of hours after I sent it. Offered me a $15 gift certificate and said he'd get to the bottom of why it was happening. Who knows if he will actually do that, but I got a free lunch." u/AffectionateGate4584 shared, "There is a tip function at Subways in Canada. The workers point out the big red X to skip. An included tip is beyond the pale. Contacting the owner was a good response. OP needs to also follow through with their intentions and leave their order."
u/nazuswahs commented, "I like your note to the owner. It’s concise and to the point. You’re not nasty or hateful, merely stating facts." u/BasicDude7777 wrote, "This is a great write-up. Thanks for bringing it to the owner's attention. Hope he or she does the right thing with the information. To all the Reddit people, don't kill the messenger. I'm glad he found the glitch (intentional or not, to be determined), and we will see how it turns out." u/Possible-Belt-7793 added, "They need feedback like this to change their systems. Recommended tips need to be eliminated, and autograts no friggin way."
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